Cliff
by ScribbleSongs
Summary: Whenever something doesn't go your way, or even if your whole life is turned upside down, you always need to remain with a smile on your face. Emily Cliff's been through a lot. This was all she had to go on. Her life was a mess full of loss and pain. Oh and to top it all off, she has to work with Caffrey, God she really hates him... INCOMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

**_Hello World! So, this is my first multi-chapter story, just a warning. Sorry if this story isn't the next Harry Potter. I would also like you to know that i also have never done a White Collar story -before, so just re-read that sentence again._**

 ** _Also! This takes place somewhere between season two and three. None of the really big things happen during this story  
but i might mention a few of them here and there._**

 ** _I have NO idea how often i'll update. I hope at the very VERY least i'll update once a month...  
Yeah...  
I know that i probably wont be the best updater._**

 ** _ANYWAY!_**

 ** _I hope this story brings you lots of smiles, cuz i know  
that i loved writing it. _**

**_Read and (hopefully) enjoy!_**

* * *

 _Whenever something doesn't go your way, or even if your whole life is turned upside down, you always need to remain with a smile on your face. Not to say you should shrug off every bad thing that happens, but moping and whining won't get you anywhere. Keep your head held high, and don't worry about tomorrow. If you put in enough care and effort, everything will turn out all right._

This is what Emily based her life on. For as long as she could remember, it's what kept her going, what held her together. Even if it wasn't the best logic, she had to have something to get her though those years. And it did. She kept her head high; she went on smiling, convincing herself that things would turn around.

But it's hard to have faith when it is tested over and over again, without a break for breath. But she kept her faith despite everything and kept it well. When people asked her how she could still be a happy, non-broken girl after so many deaths and tragedies, she would always tell them what she told herself every single time something happened: _Keep your head held high, and don't worry about tomorrow._

Then life burned away her last bit of faith and she shattered. She was done. She was tired of putting up with everything, and just threw in the towel.

She had to leave. There was too much hurt in the home she had known for so long, so she started looking. She was looking for a place where she could escape her father's death: his murder.

Even though she was an FBI agent, and had learned to deal with the trials of death, it's much different when the deaths actually affect you. She had made up her mind that even if she could never help her father, she could at least help other people instead. However, even though she wanted nothing more than to escape her prison, life kept her there for a few months. But if she was going to be stuck in Vermont for a few more months, she might as well take something away from it. She took on more cases and started working harder than she ever had before. She learned how to act and pretend. She learned how to play the part of a real person who actually had a life worth living, not some girl who was broken and shattered. She would smile when necessary and laugh along with the crowd. When her friends and colleagues asked how she was dealing with her father "passing on" she would smile and simply say, "I'm doing fine. Thank you for your concern," when in reality, it wasn't her who was speaking but a mask, and on the inside, she was tattered and broken.

* * *

Emily had all the facts about her father's death laid out in front of her. Ever since his death, the puzzle of his murder had become HER case. More than another case, it had become the last thing that drove her in life. Tonight, she was busy compiling more clues she had recently uncovered while working on another case. She kept a list of all suspects and leads that might point to her father's killer. This new information appeared to be the crucial piece she was missing.

She was scribbling down some notes when she heard her phone ring. Startled out of her thoughts, she looked to her phone, then realized, in her shock, she had made a thick line of ink on the back of her right hand. _Wonderful…_ she thought bitterly.

She picked up the phone to see who was calling.

 _"Is this Emily Cliff?"_ she heard someone say.

"This is she. And whom might I be talking to?" she asked, forcing her voice to be calm and sweet. She had started pacing about the living room.

 _"Ms. Cliff, this is Peter Burk, head of the White Collar Division in New York. We've heard a lot about you over the past few months. The number of cases you've cracked recently is quite impressive."_

 _Perter Burk? Why would Peter Burk call me?_ Yes, the White Collar Division down in the Big Apple was one of her top picks as where to relocate, but why would Peter Burk be calling her?

"Thank you Sir, but, if I may, why are you calling me? Is there something I can do for you?"

 _"Actually, I think there is something we can do for you. Ms. Cliff, along with your impressive amount of cases, we also have noticed that you are requesting to be relocated. So to answer your question, we're granting your wish. That is of course you if accept all the 'terms and conditions',"_ he said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

She stopped in her tracks, not quite believing what she was hearing. Was this real? Was she really going to get out of this place after all these months?

"Re-relocated? Like, down in New York?" she stammered.

 _"Yes._ Relocated _. You would work with the rest of us here; even have your own desk and everything…"_

"Yes. Yes, of course! Um, when-when do I need to come down there? When does it become official?" The conversation ended with her accepting the job and the "terms and conditions." She was going down to New York to work as a detective and/or field agent depending on the case. It was the first time in a long time that she was truly happy and excited about something. She wanted to get down there as soon as possible before something came up to keep her here even longer.

Sometime during the conversation, he had mentioned that he had a partner/consultant named Neal Caffrey. He hadn't said much else about it but that he would have someone send over a file with more information about his partner. _They have a whole file they want me to read on a consultant? Who's that important? If he's so important why isn't he in charge?_ She was one to over analyze things so hearing that she needed to read an entire file on one person sent wandering in all different directions.

 _You know what? Just shut up. You are overthinking this. It doesn't even matter. You'll probably only see him every once and a while anyways. What does he look like though?_ **Shut up!** _Stop going on about some unspecified piece of information that might not even affect you!_

* * *

About a month later she was on her way to New York. Everything was in place; all she had to do now was move down there and start working.

Unfortunately, the lead that Emily had previously thought would be a break through on her father's case was nothing more than another one of the countless dead ends she had faced while trying to solve her case.

Another event that happened during that month was she received the file on "Neal Caffrey."

She was not pleased when she got it.

In the file, Emily pored over _pages_ of crimes that this man had committed! Priceless pieces of art stolen, conspiring with criminals who had done a whole lot worse than steal things. _Why in the world would Peter Burk allow this criminal to work beside him?!_ Her rare excitement was stomped out as soon as she got the file. Suddenly, she was a lot less thrilled about going down to New York.

But she wasn't going to let this little hiccup stop her. She would just have to put up with the criminal's insolent face every once in a while. She imagined a short pudgy man whose face was always cast with a frown and greasy hair that was nothing more than a few strands. The word creepy summed him up perfectly in her mind. _Ew. Ok. Looking forward to this even less now. But it's too late now to back out so, New York here I come._

* * *

Emily had no idea what was ahead of her. She stood outside the building with a mask of confidence even if all she was truly feeling was fear. But she continued on and marched inside.

She had nothing but butterflies in her stomach when the elevator doors opened and she started to ascend. She was thinking about all the people she would meet once she reached her floor. The sour thought of Neal Caffrey consumed most her thoughts. She mindlessly fiddled with a button on the bottom of her coat as her mind wandered. She was excited to meet Peter Burk, but moreso she was looking forward to all the new distractions this new environment would offer her. The elevator door dinged. She took a deep breath and put on her normal mask before the doors opened. She stepped out and walked though the glass doors to her right. _This is it._

As she walked through the door she saw a few people bustling about. She scanned the area, but didn't see Peter Burk. She saw someone with his back to her and approached him hoping to find out where Burk might be. She was about to ask when he started to turn around. He was looked up from his files, and she was greeted by easily the most beautiful man she had every met.

He had cheek bones you would not believe with thick, wavy, dark chocolate hair. He smiled which only increased the number of butterflies in her stomach. And his eyes! The blue orbs that stared back at her looked as if whole oceans were contained inside.

"H-hi." She started, a little startled by his unexpected face. "I'm supposed to meet Agent Peter Burk. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?"

"Of course! You know, he just went off to grab a file. He should be back any second. What 's your name?" His voice was like pure silk gliding across her ears.

"Emily Cliff. Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand which he shook with a smile and a nod. She decided that her first impression should be to smile back. Although she still had to force her face to run the extra mile, it was much easier this time. So far this man seemed to be nice enough. _But he only said two words to you. Stop acting like you can trust him._

Just then, she heard a voice behind her, and she spun around to see who it was.

"Ah, Miss. Cliff! Glad to see your face in real life instead of on a file!" Emily saw that the speaker was Agent Burk. He gave her a smile and shook her hand before handing the file he had been holding to the other man. When he smiled, little rays of sunshine shown from the corners of his eyes.

"I see that you've already meet my partner, Neal Caffrey?"

Emily's mind stopped dead in its tracks. It took all her will power to keep a calm exterior. THIS. Was Neal Caffrey? The man that she had just a few seconds ago saw as _trust worthy_ immediately turned into a rotten criminal that used his handsome features for nothing but getting his way. The voice that had sounded kind and genuine, now sounded full of deceit and malice .

"Oh!" She said turning to face the man that had just been confirmed as Neal Caffrey. "So you're the one that I've heard so much about." She kept up her smile, and her mind hated her for it. It had never been so hard to fake an expression.

 ** _Sooooooo?_**

 ** _Thoughts?  
What did you think of chapter #1? Yay? Nay? Can't say? _**

**_I would love it if you gave me comments! They are so helpful and encouraging.  
I love hearing what you all say, especially if you take time out of your day to do it._**

 ** _People who comment get...hmm..._**

 ** _A SONIC SCREW DRIVER!  
_** (What do you mean i can't really give you that? Shut up! Of cores i can!)

 ** _I hope that you liked this chapter and i hope to see you all very soon, but again  
I can't really promise anything yet. _**

**_Well, that's all for now folks!  
Thanks for tuning in._**

 ** _~Talent_**

* * *

 ** _UPDATED!_**

 ** _Revisions have been made to this chapter!_**

 ** _For all of you who read this chapter before, you may have noticed that  
there were a lot of spelling errors and clunkiness. _**

**_FrozenBananaPanda has made lots good again!_**

 ** _I'm so happy that she was willing to help me with it because other wise it would  
have sounded like a two year old wrote it, which is basically the level of my spelling,  
thanks to deslexia.  
:p_**

(Fixed 1/14/2017)


	2. Chapter 2: A Song is so Much More

**_Hello again! So happy you came back, or are reading this for  
the first time._**

 ** _OK, so in the last chapter a lot of you said that my spelling  
was wrong_**

 ** _and to that i say..._**

 ** _You're right._**

 ** _I'M SO SORRY! I know, i know, i am so bad at spelling!_**

 ** _I will say though, i blame it on my dyslexia._**

 ** _I was able to re-do that chapter and fix a lot_**

 ** _of the spelling mistakes and_**

 ** _awkward sentences._**

 ** _THANK FROZENBANANAPANDA!_**

 ** _She's awesome!_**

 ** _She read my thing and fixed all the things wrong with it!_**

 ** _I also want to let you know,_**

 ** _that i still try really hard not to give you bad content. I went though that chapter about 5 time,_**

 ** _then had my brother look though it, then put it into google and made it speak to me,_**

 ** _in case there were thing's that he over looked as well._**

 ** _and there were STILL a bunch of misspells in there._**

 ** _So i do suggest that you look back at it and_**

 ** _re-read it cuz it sounds much better._**

 ** _Last thing i want to tell you before you read Chapter two,_**

 ** _this story was heavily inspired by music, so_**

 ** _during the second part during Emily's POV,_**

 ** _listen to Adele's Someone Like You._**

 ** _Happy Reading!_**

Neal was looking through a few files. This time Peter had given him the choice this time as to which case to take on. The one he was currently looking through was a missing person's case. Of course, the one time he gave him the choice, he gave him the least interesting cases as posable. Neal thought heard Peter behind him and turned to complain, only to see a small woman in his place. He smiled at this new face, and hoped she was a witness or something for a more interesting case.

"H-hi. I'm supposed to meet Agent Peter Burke. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?" She asked him, with a slightly surprised expression.

"Of course! You know, he just went off to grab a file. He should be back any second." Neal took a quick glance around to see if he could see Peter, with no luck. He looked back at her. Neal knew that someone new was coming to White Collar; he wondered if this was her. "What's your name?"

"Emily Cliff. Nice to meet you!" She gave him a sweet smile and hand-shake. _Yup. She's the new-b._ Neal noticed that everything about her screamed innocents. She was unbelievably short, and had a round face, with a little pixy nose, that was framed perfectly by her curly brown hair. Although her lips smiled back at him, it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Neal was just about to ask if she was, indeed, the new agent, but was interrupted by Peter who had just come back.

"Ah, Miss. Cliff! Glad to see your face in real life instead of on a file! I see that you've already meet my partner, Neal Caffrey?"

It was as if a switch had flicked in her brain, because as soon as Peter said Neal's name, her whole face changed. To most people, they wouldn't see any difference, but Neal, on the other hand, noticed that her lips tightened, and her whole body stiffened. The green eyes that hadn't smiled to begin with, now frowned.

"Oh!" Her long hair bounced as she spun to face him again. "So you're the one I've heard so much about."

"Oh, so you've already heard about me!" Neal gave her another smile.

"Yeah, don't let it go to your head Neal." Peter scolded.

"Oh come on, but were they good things or bad things?" he said in a mock whisper.

She didn't even try to hide her pursed lips this time. "That depends on your definition of 'good' and 'bad.'"

 _Okay, so she doesn't like me. That's already obvious._

"Neal, this is Emily Cliff, the new agent from Vermont. I'm going to go over a few things with her, and in the meantime, I want you to chose one of those cases." Peter gave him a pointed look.

"Of course Peter. Oh, and" Neal looked back at the new agent again. "Welcome to White Collar Emily."

* * *

Neal, in the end, had decided to pick the case about a stolen painting. Although it wasn't the most interesting of cases, he was in the mood to get his hands dirty.

"All right people," Peter had arranged a meeting, and was now going over the details of the case. "This painting was stolen from Whitney Museum of American Art." The screen showed a picture of a little girl playing piano in black and white. "We have identified the thief as Kile Rose." Again, the screen showed a picture of a bald man with long face. "His last known location was at the Hotel Dreams. We believe he's still inside so a stake-out in in order. Neal, you chose this one, so you're coming."

Neal threw his head back and let out a groan. "Oh come on. If I had known there was a stake out involved, I wouldn't have chosen it. Can I take it back?"

"No take-backs." Peter looked very proud of himself.

Neal let out another groan. "Come on Neal. Let's go."

Peter watched as everyone left the conference room. Emily had already gone home, but he decided that he should have her on this case. He picked up his phone and called.

* * *

It had been a long day. Emily had to go over a bunch of paper work that only did more to remind Emily of her family. On top of that, she also found out that Caffrey was even _more_ of a twit than she originally thought. He was annoyingly charming. Always trying to win people over with a smile. It seemed he knew how to craft a sentence and/or lie. _Yah, I bet you do a lot of that._

Emily got back to her new home weary and exhausted. It was nice enough: small, but cozy. Emily was just about ready to crash when she remembered that she didn't really have anything to crash on, seeing as nothing had quite gotten to her flat yet. It was going to come later that day (she didn't own lot), so she decided to go through the few things she had brought with her in her car. She spotted a box next to the door.

"Eh." She opened up the box and started rummaging through it. She found a few things wrapped in bubble wrap, such as her pc along with a few loose wires. _Oh, that's what I can do._ She thought to herself. She went looking though a few boxes taking out all her electronics.

As she was doing this, she stumbled across a box that held a microphone and keyboard. _Oh. This thing._ She felt a knot form in her throat.

Something very few people knew about Emily was that she loved to sing, but she just never got a chance to show anyone, and she didn't particularly care to. One reason why was because whenever people heard her sing, they would always "oo" and "ah" over her voice, and say that she had the best they had ever heard. Emily never knew how to react to these types of comments. She always thought that they were only saying it to be nice and were giving her too much glory.

The second reason was more personal.

Some of her best memories were of her and her family sitting together at the big grand piano they had. They would always get together and sing and play after Sundays. That was always the time they would get together as a family. After it was only Emily and her father, they had to move out, and leave the piano behind. She had gotten herself a microphone and keyboard, to hopefully keep the memories going. She would record what she sang, and hoped she would show them all to her father one day, but it was never the same. From then on, she only sang to herself when she needed to get something off her chest. Emily would poor all her emotion into her words as she sang, trying to bring back the happiness that once was there. Then when her father died, she stopped singing altogether, but she couldn't bring herself to throughout the two things when she moved.

Emily looked down at the keyboard, now lying in her lap. "Oh, what the hell."  
It didn't take long for her to set up her own little audio station in her room. Out of habit, she got up her laptop and started recording.

She wasn't even sure what she was doing, but she just started playing the first song that popped into her head.

 _"I head, that you're settled down. That you found a girl, and you're married now._

 _"I heard that your dreams came true. Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you."_

If someone were to walk into her doing this, they would probably think she was singing about a break up, or some guy that had left her. But for Emily, it had nothing to do with losing a boyfriend. In fact, she was singing about her mother. She remembered that the only time in her life that she felt whole and complete, was before her mom left, for that god-awful freak of a man.

" _Old friend, why are you so shy?_

 _"Ain't like you to hold back, or to hide from the light._

 _"I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,_

 _"But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it._

 _"I had hoped you'd see my face and be reminded that for me it isn't over."_

What was she doing? She came to this place to get away from all the memories, not to bring back all the hurt and pain. _Stop._ She thought. _You know what's going to happen if you keep going._ Too late. She couldn't stop.

 _"Never mind I'll find someone like you! I wish nothing but the best for you two!_

 _"Don't forget me, I'll beg. I'll remember you said sometimes it lasts to love,_

 _"But sometimes it hurts instead."_

Emily didn't really know how long she was standing there, but she did know that everything she was saying came straight from her heart, and it was pouring out of her without the ability stop. She wasn't even singing any particular song after a while, but singing lyrics about things she didn't even know she was holding in. Emily's brain seemed to be focusing on her mother. Words of despise, hate, and confusion spilled from her lips. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but eventually, she stopped.

Emily set her mic down and, with a start, realized that her hands were shaking. She pressed them to her eyes to calm herself, only to find that her face was wet and hot with tears. She had forgotten how good she had gotten at bottling up emotion. It was a good thing too. She really didn't want to go around the streets of New York looking like a banshee.

* * *

After some time the mover's had come and started unloading boxes. Most everything was inside when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi Emily, this is Peter. Sorry to bring you back to work on your first day, but there's a case I would like you on." He then proceeded to tell her about a missing painting and a stake-out. He said it all so there was no room to argue. "I need you down here as soon as posable. I'll see you then."

"Okay, I'll be there."

"Thanks Emily." He hung up.

Emily wasn't sure what was worse: staying at her home and unloading a bunch of boxes, with smelly movers, or going on a stake out. There was nothing she hated more about being an FBI agent, and that was going on stake-outs.

 ** _Like chapter two?_**

 ** _Yeah? Nay? Can't say?_**

 ** _IMPORTANT!_**

 ** _I HAVE HAD THE BEST IDEA EVAH!_**

 ** _So you know how a lot of authors will "give you things"_**

 ** _if you review?_**

 ** _WELL! I truly have something REAL to give you._**

 ** _On my tablet, i have a play list of songs_**

 ** _that relate to this story, and helped_**

 ** _inspire it._**

 ** _SO..._**

 ** _If you review, I will tell you one of the songs on there._**

 ** _THIS IS ON GOING FOR ALL CHAPTERS UNTIL I RUN OUT OF SONGS TO GIVE YOU._**

 ** _I will do so by PMing, so if you sign in as a guest, i can't give it to you._**

 ** _You might ask why i can't just give it to_**

 ** _you in the authors note, but NO!_**

 ** _Everyone gets a different song._**

 ** _Also, please no PMing each other what song you got._**

 ** _It is supposed to be fun that you all get a_**

 ** _different song._**

 ** _Some of the songs i will mention in here,_**

 ** _some might only be in there._**

 ** _I also am not just doing this for comments,_**

 ** _i really think that the songs add a lot to the story,_**

 ** _so just know that i am doing this cuz i love you guys, not just your comments._**

(but i love those too!)

 ** _Well, that's all for now folks!_**

 ** _Thanks for tuning in._**

 ** _~Talent_**


	3. Chapter 3: Stake-out

**_Hi Every one! *ducks from flying trash* I know! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! To be fair though, i did say in my first chapter that i would be a slow updater.  
But i am still so sorry for taking so long. Honestly, i had most of this chapter done for about a month and just didn't get around to finishing it. I had some writer's block. I will try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible, and i already know what i am going to do for it, so i hope to get that to y'all sooner than this one._**

 ** _Also, i am very sad to say that no one got a song last chapter. Yes there were reviews, but there were all from guests! Wah! Come on guys! The songs are right there for you to grab! all ya gatta do is sign in!  
I know. I sound really ungrateful right now. I'm not! Thank you all for the lovely comments! I am just sad for you because I wanna give you da songs... *sniffs*_**

 ** _Well, i have ranted enough, so i read and enjoy!_**

Emily was grateful to be the one to go in with Jones to bug Kile's room. While they were in the van, their cameras saw that he had left, giving them a few minutes to plant bugs before he returned. Thankfully, she and Jones didn't get caught, and made it out, but barely. They most likely wouldn't have if it weren't for Peter giving them a heads up about Rose coming back.

Emily slipped on a pair of head phones and cranked up her volume. The van had tapped into the hotel's security cameras, in case they saw some one suspicions come in. Nothing unusual, just a few people checking in and out. Hoping not to let her mind wander, she started trying to guess the professions of all the people in the lobby. She decided that the tell woman with a duffle bag was a dancer, seeing as she looked fit and she stood and her tows. Emily often played this game with herself. In fact she did it so much that it had become a sort of habit, and sometimes didn't even realize she was doing it.

After a few minutes, Emily was already bored. She thought about starting some small talk, but decided against it, seeing as they were still on a stake out. Unfortunately, Caffrey didn't seem to have a problem with any of that.

"So, you're from Vermont?"

Emily looked up from the monitor, realizing that Caffrey was asking her a question. "Hmm? Oh yes. I lived up there for a while." Emily looked back at the screen. The man at the coffee station looked like a father, considering that there were two kids running at his heals.

Neal wasn't quite satisfied with that. Why did no one ever indulge him during these things? He was hoping to get a conversation started so he tried for a little more small talk.

"I here you guys get lots of snow up there? These rumors or truth?" He said with an encouraging smile.

Emily really didn't want to start up a conversation, but she still thought that it wasn't quite her place to tell him to shup up. Not yet anyways…

"No, it's true. It's beautiful up there that time of year."

Peter and Jones glance at each other and a silent understanding came between the two. Without words they had said that they were going to see where this went. They were just as curios about this new agent as Neal was, and Peter wanted to see how these two got along. Also, if they didn't it might prove to be a great deal of entertainment. They decided to stay quiet.

"I've always wanted to go somewhere with lots of snow. Were you a fan of it?" Neal was really trying to get to know this girl, but she was making it extremely difficult. What was wrong with a little small talk? It wasn't like they were doing anything anyway.

"I was fine for a while, but it stayed too long; just got gross and cold after a bit." Why did Caffrey insist on making small talk? Why couldn't he just pester Peter or something?. Neal was about to say something else, but as soon as he opened his mouth he was given a loud shush, and a hand raise from Emily.

"Geez, I was—"

"SHH!" Emily turned up the volume on her headphones. "There's someone else in the room with him. It sounds like a woman. Peter you getting this?"

"Yah, I don't recognize her though."

Though the headphones Emily heard a conversation start to take place.

" _Ah. Arial Seasling, you came."_ Wow. That wasn't very smart. Who just says their name without a second thought? Especially in the criminal world!

" _Let's get this over with Rose. You promised me the painting. You'd better have it."_ Emily heard a woman's voice thought the headset this time.

"Say the name of the painting…come on." She muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, Emily say Caffrey put on a pair of headphones.

" _Yes, yes. I have it. Goodness. So pushy!"_ Emily gritted her teeth when spoke. Rose sounded as if he were scolding a puppy for misbehaving. Something about this man just put her teeth on edge. "I don't like this guy already," commented Peter. "Me neither. Something about him…" She didn't finish her sentence.

" _I also must assume that you have my money?"_

" _Not here,"_ commentedSeasling _, "I wanted to make sure that you really had it first."_

Even though the headset, Emily could tell there was tension in the room.

" _If I don't get my money, you don't get the painting…"_ Rose's voice sounded like he was talking though gritted teeth.

" _And if I don't get the painting,_ you, _don't get the money. So… let's see it."_ There was rustling, then a satisfied 'hmm.' _"I believe I will be seeing again very soon Rose. I'll call you when the money's ready."  
"I don't recall getting your number."_

" _As I said, I call you when it's ready."_ After Seasling had finished speaking, they all heard the door close.

"She's gone, and we don't even have any solid evidence that they're committing a crime. Grate!" Peter huffed and took off his pair of headphones.

Emily thought for a moment with her chin resting on her fist. "Not yet we don't, but…" she said speaking slowly. "We got her name. We can run it though the data base, see who and where she lives, and send someone under cover. If we can get out of her that she knows about the painting, then we can bug her. If all goes well, we can intercept the deal. But she said she would see Rose soon, so we will have to move fast."

Emily looked up from the floor, only to see everyone staring at her. _What? It wasn't THAT good of an idea…_

Jones let out a little chuckle. "I like her stuff. I'm all for it. But who do we send in?"

* * *

 _ **DUN DUN! "Cliff" hanger! Ha. ha. See what i did there? Lol. I'm so punny.**_

 _ **What did you think of chapter #3? Yay? Nay? Can't say?  
I know that this chapter was really short, and i am sorry for that, but i hope to make it up to you by posting the next one sooner. Also, i could have added the next chapter to this one, but i wanted to let you all know that i am indeed not dead, and if i didn't post this now, i wouldn't post it for another month.  
**_

 _ **Thank you all for reading, and as always, my offer for the songs is still up. All you have to do is review, and i will PM you a song from my Cliff play list.**_

 _ **That's all for now folks!  
Thanks for tuning in.**_

 _ **~Talent**_


	4. Chapter 4: Routines

_**I really just... don't have any excuse. I wont even bother going through the whole thing about being sorry, because being sorry means you'll never do that thing again, and i can't really promise that. I am a bad updater. I do really feel bad though. I wouldn't fell bad if i just didn't update, seeing as i told you all at the beginning that i would suck at updating, but i promised you guys... I just... I feel terrible.**_

 _ **But i am back and not dead, so... Yay?I don't even know how much any of you care at this point but, regardless, here is chapter four!**_

Strolling out of her apartment with one of her favorite hats on, Emily felt a brisk wind tickle her nose. Growing up in Vermont, Emily had always been a fan of winter, but the cold winds here felt very different from the fresh crisp air back at her old home. The winters up in Vermont always felt like a refreshing mint, but down here in New York, it felt cruel and pricing.

Emily let out a muffled squeak as she threw her hand up to grasp her hat as a rather strong wind blew through the streets. The hat she had saved was a brown cloches hat with a black bow. She had picked this hat both for practicality, for they stood up well against colder weather, and seeing as it was one of her favorite hats. She supposed her love of hats might have been passed down from her father. She never went more than a day without seeing some fashionable piece of headgear atop his scruffy brown hair.

A smile flitted across her face, only to quickly turn into a bitter scowl. Before she could sink too much deeper into her mind, Emily erased all thoughts about her past. Instead, she decided to focus on the present.

Emily reviewed her current case. _The Pint-Sized Pianist:_ a painting that had been stolen, was going to be exchanged at some unknown location and time, by Kile Rose and Arial Seasling.  
Last night, she and a few others working in White Collar, planned to send someone in to try and get some information out of Arial Seasling. Obviously, the two key things they still needed to know was, where, and when the transaction was going to take place. Emily loved everything about this plan. It was simple, straight to the point with no fancy maneuvers to mess things up. She just didn't like who they were sending in.

 _Caffrey_.

Of course. Why should she have been expecting anything else? He was a past (read: current) con-man who knew a lot about dealing with these kinds of people, he had plenty of experience snooping around, and he was above all, a thief. But, regardless of all the facts that put Caffrey at the top of this for people to send in, it didn't mean she had to like it.

Emily's hands tightened into fists inside her coat pockets. She knew she was getting too worked up about the matter, and had to close her eyes in order to calm herself down.

 _You're fine. It's just a simple task he has to do, and then you can help with the interception. You won't be_ completely _out of control._

Control: one of the most, if not _the,_ most precious thing left in Emily's life. There were so many things in her world that were out of her reach. Three of the worst events of her life happened when she wasn't in control, but for one of them she was…

And she would never forgive herself for it.

Ever since that day, Emily had become hyperactive in everything she did. She wasn't going to ever let something slip through her fingers again.

Ugh! How did everything she thought of always end up right back to where she started? She didn't want to be thinking about that! She came here to avoid her family's memories as much as possible, yet they seemed it was all she could think about.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Emily looked up to see where she was. Only another block or so and she would be reach the FBI building. Emily quickened her pace, not wanting to be out in the biting cold anymore. After about ten more minutes of struggling against the frigid wind, Emily reached her destination.

Emily relished the warmth when she walked through the door. No doubt that later that day it would become unbearably stuffy, but she decided to take comfort in in for at least a short while. After a short elevator ride to White Collar, Emily ambled down the long hallway. Not two seconds after she entered, the short woman's eyes widened in horror.

There, perched atop the con-man himself was a sleek black fedora.

Without thinking, (for that would take too long) Emily darted back around the corner, reached her hand up to her head, and promptly threw her hat into the closed trash bin. No way, for all that was holy, was she going to wear a hat alongside Caffrey. There simply was no argument. She wound not.

 _Well, now they won't see the light of day ever again. I really shouldn't even take them out of the closet. I should probably just burn the closet…_

After her little episode, Emily rounded the corner (for the second time that day), and began her day to day routine. After a few hours or so passed, Emily was called up for a meeting. Walking past one of her fellow co-workers, she gave a curt nod and a polite smile for him holding the door open.

"Morning Ms. Cliff," he smiled.

With another small smile, and a quiet 'Morning' back, Emily joined the rest of her coworkers in the meeting room. After the last meeting had deciding Caffrey would be going under cover, Emily wasn't to overly excited to go back there. A few people were already seated. She recognized a few faced, such as Peter and Jones, but other than that, there were only a handful of other agents around the large table. After taking her seat, Emily waited patiently for the rest of the team to arrive. It was only a few minutes later when everyone arrived, and at which point Emily realized her idiotic mistake.

When Emily had entered the room, the first person she noticed was Peter, and knowing him the best of all the people there, went and sat close to him. Only what she _didn't_ realize was in her hast to sit near him she had forgotten about Peter's pet, who _always_ sat next to him.

With an internal groan, Emily faked a smile and steeled herself for the inevitable small talk that would come.

One and a half hours. That equals up to five thousand and four hundred minutes. And in those five thousand and four hundred minutes, Emily was stuck sitting in the same chair the whole time next to Caffrey having to put up with incised chatter.

You would think that after going though as much as she did, she would be much more tolerant of the world and what it gave her, and to a degree, that was true. But, it also made her far less tolerant of something else. People. Now days, even the smallest thing someone did would set her brain fuming. Although Emily knew she was being very ridiculous at times, she knew there was no point in fixing it. Even if she tried, she knew she would never be able to.

Emily spent the rest of her day going about her usual routine, which consisted of not much else besides working all the live long day. Although she didn't mind this, Emily thought others might wonder if something was wrong with someone who never stopped working. After some consideration, Emily decided that she would try going on walks during her lunch break. Where to, she wasn't sure yet, seeing as she was still new to the city, but she decided that this way she could act like a normal human being, while taking some time out of the office.

About a week later, the case had been solved. It turned out that Caffrey was good at going under cover seeing as he didn't blow his cover, and manage to intercept the time and place of the swap. And as Emily had told herself a few days before, she was at the interception, cuffing Kile Rose. There were very few things that acted like a better stress reliever than slapping cuffs onto a criminal.

Also in those few days, Emily had found that there was a quaint little park not far from the building and had made it a habit to walk and eat lunch there every day. It she was being honest with herself, she quite enjoyed the time out of White Collar. It was a nice break from the stuffiness and people. Sure, it was cold and there were still people in the park, but not ones who would constantly be coming up to you asking for stuff and expected things from you. The people here ignored you and let you be. One thing she wouldn't quite admit to herself though, was that she did really need to take breaks from her work. It wasn't healthy for her to never let herself stop day after day. But, when it all came down to it, Emily was glad for this change. It felt… refreshing.

One day however, Emily was on her way to the park when a familiar voice shouted from somewhere behind her. Turning without thinking, Emily saw Caffrey hasten to catch up to her.

What was he doing here? She came on these things to get away from the place, not have it follow her.

She wondered if there was any chance that she could pretend she didn't see him and lose him in the crowd. Looking about, Emily realized that there was no crowd to be seen, seeing as it was winter, and not many were on the streets.

Well, it was too late to do anything now. He knew she had seen him, so there was nothing left to do but play along.

NEAL

Over the past few days, Neal had become increasingly curios of Emily Cliff. For the First few days, all she did was work nonstop, but after a while she seemed to settle in a little and left the building at 1:00 each day. He wanted to know who this woman was, and why she acted the way she did. She fit in like a normal person, but there was still something off about her. After noticing this habit of hers he decided to follow her one day.

After He had finished up the project he was working on, Neal took off. At first it was difficult to spot her, even without many people around because of her height, but soon enough, he saw her strolling along a sidewalk headed towards what looked to be a park.

Calling out for her, Emily's head turned his way. After he caught up with her, she gave him a friendly smile.

"Hi Caffrey, what are you doing here? I thought you were back with Peter this time of day?" Emily asked.

"Got off early, so I decided to take a walk," he said gaily. "What about you?"

Emily turned her attention back to the path. After a moment she replied. "I wanted to explore the city more, so I decided I would spend my free time talking walks." Her tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't inviting either. Not wanting to leave, Neal pressed on.

"So, have you liked what you've seen so far?"

She hummed in consideration. "Mostly, but it's very different from the place I used to live. There isn't much I recognize, life-style wise."

"That's understandable. The big city means a big change." Neal paused. There was a question that he really wanted to ask her, but wasn't sure if he should just yet. After a beat of silence, he opened his mouth and asked. "If you don't mind me asking," Neal started with a gentle tone, "Why did you come here in the first place? In your profile it said that you were requesting a transfer for a while."

Emily didn't respond for some time, seemingly deep in thought. After a few moments, she let out a big sigh.

"It's a little embarrassing…" She mumbled with reluctance.

Neal held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "You do not have to tell if you don't want I was only—"

"No! No, it's fine I was just warning you." Not taking her eyes of the pavement, she continued. "I was in a very serious relationship with someone for a while, and, well, it ended on very bad terms. And, as luck would have it, we were colleagues. After a while, it just became too hard and awkward. As much as we both tried, we kept running into each other, so, I finally decided I couldn't stay. I thought I would just make a fresh new start with everything. I had wanted to try something new for a while anyway, but hadn't really seen any reason to." She looked sad remembering what seemed to have been a hard brake-up.

"I so sorry to hear that, but I hope that you come to like this city. I know things like that can be hard to come to terms with." Neal responded reassuringly.

Despite what he let on, this answer confused him. Why open up so easily after all that time giving him short one of two word answers? After a few minutes of listening to the ambiance of the streets and winds, Neal checked his watch and turned to face Emily.

"Well this was fun, but I think Peter might want me back soon. Thanks for letting me tag along!"

"Of course!" She said.

"Well, yeesh," he said glancing at his watch one more time, "I really got to go. But hey! We should do this again sometime! You could tell me more about you work up there."

Emily's jaw clenched noticeable as she responded with a weak "Uh hu," before a smile quickly replaced it and she waved at him as he turned to leave.

As soon as Neal was out of sight he let him own smile drop. (Little did he know Emily did the same thing.) One thing was painfully clear when he was talking to Emily about the reason she left Vermont.

She was lying.

 _ **And there you have it. Another Cliff-hanger. (I know you all hate me and i don't care(but i will try not to do this every time).)**_

 _ **I personally really like this chapter. But what did you think? Yay? Nay? Can't say?**_

 _ **Dang it has been so long since i updated. Looking back at my old chapters, they make me shutter. They are so bad. Some time i might go back and fix them, but for now, i'll just wright.**_

 _ **I tried to get out at least one chapter this summer, and hey! ONE chapter, two days before school starts.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Well, i'll take what I can get.**_

 _ **Hope to see you all in the next chapter, and as always, the deal with the songs is still up!**_

 _ **That's all for now folks!**_

 _ **Thanks for tuning in.**_

 _ **~Talent**_


	5. Flashback

**_This chapter is not a flashback per say, but just some history on Emily's life._**

 ** _Read, and hopefully enjoy._**

20 YEARS AGO

Silence. Nothing could be heard from the cozy house except the wind that blew through the faded blue shutters. Although to an on-looker it appeared old and run down, this house was loved. Not a day went by where the kitchen wasn't used, the living room sat in, or the piano played. All was quiet on that warm Saturday afternoon.

Abruptly, that silence was shattered as the door to the home flew open. In came two girls in their Saturday best. The first had short brown hair with bangs, and stood a good three inches above the second. She wore a dainty white dress with tiny blue flowers scattered across the skirt. The shorter of the two, had rippling chocolate hair that was tied back in a brown bow that matched her simple tan dress. Both had bright green eyes.

As the two girls tagged each other on the way in, two other figures could be seen entering the bright living room. A woman with emerald eyes and dirty blond hair stepped into the house with very regal attire. Alongside her was someone who could only be her husband. His short stature and shaggy brown hair surly made him a sight to see in the Church, but he was strikingly handsome none the less. He seemed to have a permanent smile on his lips.

The two girls raced to large white piano in the corner of the room, both shouting things about it being their turn to pick the first song.

"Dad, wasn't Melody the one to pick the first song last week?" The small girl asked with a knowing face. She knew full well she had picked last week, but what did that matter? Her sister would pick next anyway.

Her father's brown eyes looked up with a hand on his chin in mock concentration. "Hmm… I'm not sure. My memory is a little cloudy."

Immediately jumping up from behind her sister, the short haired girl reached out and took her father's hand. "Dad, have I told you how handsome you look today? Simply exquisite!" she complemented.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands up. "Now I remember! Emily, you did go last week. Melody, what song should we play first?"

"That's cheating!" yelled Emily.

"No, what's cheating is knowing that you went last week, and trying to go twice in a row!" retorted Melody, her short hair bouncing as she turned to point at her sister.

"You would have gone right after! It's not like you wouldn't have gone at all."

"Well," Melody had a smirk on her face now. "Now, you'll get to go right after. After all, it's not like you won't go at all."

Emily huffed and went to sit in the big chair next to the piano. Melody hummed in thought, trying to figure out what song to play. Suddenly a song came to mind. "I declare that the first song that shall be played in this house today will be 'Walking on Sunshine'!"

"What? How do you turn that into a piano song?" asked Emily.

"I don't know but that's part of the fun! We'll figure it out!" Melody hoped onto the wooden bench and began to warm up. She had always been a good pianist and loved pushing the limits of what she could do. Although she was only ten years old, Melody had been playing since she could put her fingers those white ivory keys.

"I think that's a great choice." Their father came over and began to play alongside his youngest daughter, while his wife took a seat next to Emily.

As the two began to play the beginnings of the song Emily stood up and prepared to join in. This was how it always went after Church on Saturday. Her father would take a seat next to Melody as the two played some random song they had chosen while she took a stand and sung along with the two. Sometimes the two girls would switch roles, but Emily wasn't nearly as good as a player as her sister (she was still very good mind you), and Melody just simply wasn't at the level Emily was at when it came to singing. Her sister was amazing. Only on very special occasions would their mother sing. She wasn't the best singer, and couldn't play piano, but would do so anyways in the girls requested so. They tried not to ask very often though because they both knew their mom wasn't that fond of it all. She would always sit off to the side and smile as the three put on their weekly performance.

The song was fast and lively and Emily bounced along with it as her father and sister accompanied her. As the song ended, Emily threw her hand up in the air and clamed with all the authority a little eleven-year-old could muster, "MY TURN!"

Her father laughed as she heard her mother behind her mumble something about shouting.

Melody was about to say something when the doorbell interrupted her. "I'll get it," their mother said as she stood up and strode over to the door. Upon opening it, they could see a tall handsome young man clutching a purse.

"Excuse me ma'am," the man started. "I was walking by and I saw this lying beside a car, and I was wondering if it was yours." Melody had gotten up from her seat and went to stand next to Emily. Emily Noticed Melody narrow her eyes. She could tell Melody had a bad feeling about this guy, making Emily a little warry as well. In the past Melody had often had very good ideas of who people were based on first glance. She was willing to keep her guard up even though Emily didn't think that this man would cause any trouble.

Their mother let out a surprised gasp. "Oh, yes! That is mine! It must have fallen out of the car when I got out. Thank you so much!" She then took the purse from the man's hand.

"I'm Matthew by the way." He held out his hand, which she shook with a smile.

"Gina." He smiled once more and left with a wave.

After the man had come by, the family resumed their day as normal.

A month later, and Emily had completely forgotten about the man, and it had seemed that Melody had too. It was an even unimportant to remember. Emily was waiting in the fifth seat on the right as she scanned the kids shuffling into the bus her sister. No matter which sister got out fist, they always sat in the same seat. Somehow, the other kids had never sat there, and the two had inhabited that spot so they always knew where the other was.

Emily felt someone plop down in the seat beside her. Turning around she saw Melody smiling her ear-to-ear smile she always had on. Her earbuds were secured in her ears as well; she never went anywhere without them. "Hey Em! How was your day? Mine was super cool! In math, there was a question that everyone kept on getting wrong, and then I raised my hand to answer and I got it right! Oh! And in lunch, there was this boy at the other table, and he managed to fit twenty tater-tots in his mouth at once! Isn't that awesome?! It was so funny! Especially when one of his friends patted him on the back to congratulate him, and he choked and they all went flying! Hahaha! All the other girls though it was gross but I thought it was awesome! And then—" Melody's ranting was cut off by a shout from somewhere behind them.

"Hey Radio Freak!" Melody flinched at the words. Emily was confused. Who was that? Looking to the seat behind her, Emily saw a burly boy poking Melody.

"What do you want Clyde?" All the happiness and energy was gone from Melody's voice. Her smile was replaced with a frown.

"Nice earbuds you got there. I was wondering if I could borrow 'em. How 'bout it?" He pulled out of her buds as her said this.

Melody's lip was trembling, but she did as she was told and removed her treasure.

"Thanks! I'll be sure to take good care of 'em. I'll give 'em back, I don't know. Whenever I feel like it."

Emily looked on with disgust as the bully took away her sister's most loved idem. "Um, excuse me, but those are my sister, and I'm pretty sure she would like them back!" Clyde looked down at the tiny female and laughed.

"Sure, she'll get 'em back… when I'm done with them of course."

Emily looked at Melody who was shrinking into the seat. How long had this been going on? Now that she thought about it, Melody was always losing things, but she had just assumed that she was being careless.

"Please return my sister's earbuds." Emily stood up and held out her hand.

The boy looked down at buds in his hand and sighed. "All right, Fine." Just then, his fingers enclosed one of the buds and snapped it apart. "Here you are." Handing back the ear buds with an ugly grin, Melody took back the broken earbuds with a stifled sob.

Before Emily could do anything about this, the bus stopped and the boy got off.

"See yah soon Radio Freak!"

Melody couldn't help the silent tears that streamed from her eyes.

"Mel," Emily laid a hand on her sister's leg as she sat down again. "How long has this been going on?"

Wiping her nose before answering, Melody chocked out "About a year."

Emily Jumped up from her seat. "WHAT!?"

"No shouting on the bus!" called the bus driver. Melody as well shushed her and pushed her back down into the seat.

"I didn't want to say anything because he said if I did, he would hurt me, and I knew he wasn't lying because…" Melody trailed off and looked at her lap ashamed.

"Melody." Melody only put her hands to her face and continued her silent weeping.

"Melody, has he hurt you before?" Emily put a hand on her back and started rubbing. After a few moments, Melody's head slowly shook up and down.

"Oh Mel!" Emily threw her arms around her sister. "You need to tell me when this stuff happens! I know I'm small, but you know that I could have taken care of him. I would have gladly gotten in trouble for you! I could have helped!"

The rest of the ride, the sister sat like that: Melody curled into herself and Emily hugging and stroking her back. When the bus finally stopped, the two got off. But instead of going straight home, Emily led her sister to the local ice-cream shop. Using her own allowance, she got her sister and herself two big cones.

When Melody looked a little better, Emily asked her another question. "Are you sure that nothing else has been going on?"

Melody's tongue looked as if it had frozen to the ice-cream. Finishing her lick, Melody let out a sigh. "No…"

"What else has happened?"

She looked away. "There are other girls who make fun of me too. I don't know why! They all treat me like I'm different! Everyone calls me Radio Freak now. Is that it? Am I weird because of my music?" Mel looked down at her broken earbuds. She hadn't let go of them the whole time.

Emily clasped her own hand around the one that clutched the broken buds. Looking up, Melody saw her sister look at her with serious, yet gentle eyes.

"Melody, I want you to listen to me. You are different. They can call you a radio freak if they want, but you need to remember this. It does, not, matter, what other people think of you. You are who you are, and you should never let anyone take that away from you. Do not let them make you feel bad about who you are. And even if everyone in the world thinks your weird, I want you to know that I will always be by you side."

Little did Emily know that Melody would not always be by hers.


	6. AN GOODBYE AND BONUS SCENE

**_WARNING SAP FEST AHEAD!_**

 ** _Okay everyone who for some reason liked this story: I have some bad news. I am not sure if I posted this in the last chapter, but this story is totally dead. If you are binge-reading this then, well, sorry, this is all there is._**

 ** _There are many reasons why this story is dead, the main one being Emily._**

 ** _Emily is not just an OC I made for this show anymore. She is a living person in my head, and she has grown so much since I started writing this. When I began this story, she was just this lifeless creature with a sob story. I liked her because I thought she was kick butt and I sympathized with her. But now, she is a completely different person. I reread this and I think two things. 1) Holy crap this writing is TERRIBLE what was I thinking, and 2) this character isn't the Emily I know and love anymore. This isn't now she would act, or what she would say or do, this is all wrong. This story isn't her anymore. (if you really have a dying need to know what she is like then I can PM you, but I doubt anyone cares at this point.)_**

 ** _Another reason this story is dead is because, well, I had no idea what I was doing when I started this story. I had a half-baked idea about this sad girl who ends up getting fixed by this guy. I was obsessed with this show for a little bit and jumped into something I wasn't really ready for. I had no plot, no planning, no outline, nothing! I was winging this from the get-go. I think at one point I had a place I wanted to take it, but I can't remember it now._**

 ** _Also, I never even finished the show. I got tired of it a few seasons in, and have fallen out of the fandom. That's another big reason. It became a pain to remember what I was writing about and what had and hadn't happened in the show. I still like the first few seasons of the show, don't get me wrong, but I am pretty done with it by now. I also have many new fandoms that I am writing about now, MHA in particular. This story just isn't worth my time anymore._**

 ** _However, I will say, that while I was writing this, I had a lot of fun. Yeah, looking back makes me cringe and want to burn it, but I was only… I think 12 when I wrote this. I liked showing the world what was in my head, as silly as it may be. I loved getting feedback from you guys; it made me happy and always put a smile on my face! I liked reading something that was once exclusively in my brain on paper (or on a screen whatever). It was really the first time I had ever written something for fun and it was really a learning experience for me that I happened to show to everyone because I thought they might like it._**

 ** _Now I know that no one really cared much about this story and I am being super dramatic here, but, whatever. This is my thing :)_**

 ** _I was surprised by how much you guys liked this story, and looking back, I am even more baffled now. I mean this writing really is crap, but regardless, I really REALLY thank you guys for your support. It was still a pretty small following, but it still meant the world to me to have your support. I would have given up on writing (because I was super shallow back then) if it weren't for you guys, so thank you._**

 ** _I am super sorry to just drop dead on you guys, but the thing is… I wrote this story because it was fun, and it isn't fun for me to write this anymore, so I'm letting it go. Emily Cliff and her other OC palls will continue to live on in my brain, and maybe one day on paper, but not in CLIFF, and not in White Collar._**

 ** _It's just not right._**

 ** _Before I go for good, I have a little something for you. This little segment is something I wrote a long time ago when I had no idea what real romance was or what good writing was. It is an 'almost' kiss scene that I made because I really wanted to get to the part of the story where the two fall in love, but was too impatient to actually write the whole frickin book._**

 ** _This is my awful goodbye to you guys. I truly am sorry._**

 ** _Now here is an out of context crappy romance scene that makes no sense between Neal and Emily that was written by a tween who had never even been on a date before (lol still haven't but that's another story)._**

 ** _Read on if you dare._**

"Ok, and Emily?"

Emily looked up from her hands that were folded on the table. If she was being truthful, she wasn't paying much attention to Neal blabber on about how much the bracelet cost.

"Hmm? Yes? Sorry, you lost me there for a bit. What were you talking about after you stopped your meaningless chatter about the bracelet?"

Neal let out a frustrated sigh. "I said," he put both hands on the table and looked her straight in the eye. "You're going to have to distract Marxin if I want to get inside."

"Okay…" Emily waved her hand in a circle indicating for him to go on.

"Emily, you're going to have to seduce him, and based on what I know, you don't know much about that area," Neal said this and his face looked almost… Embraced? _Oh, I see. He thinks he needs to teach me._ Emily almost laughed out loud at that.

"First off," she started as she stood up. "You have no idea how much I know about that 'area,'" she huffed using air quotes. "And second, if I do need to distract him, why do you have any doubt that the famous Neal Caffrey couldn't turn me into his best apprentice?" Emily had now walked over to him and was now only a few feet apart from him, despite him taking a step back. She said the last part of the sentence with a raised brow and smirk.

"No, you're right that I don't know how much you know about seduction," he began, "but I can make an educated guess from the way you work and act, and based on that knowledge, I'm going to assume you know very little. Also," his face suddenly took on a smug look. "I know I could teach you. You're the one who doubts."

Emily furrowed her brow. This was unlike him to come up with such a poor come back. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like he hadn't done this type of thing before, not to mention with far more dangerous woman. _Well…_

"Hmm," She said taking a step closer to him. "Back to my original point. You have no idea how much I know about seducing. If I wanted to…" She closed the space in between them by another step. She could feel his breath mixing with hers. "I would probably do something like this…" With a low hum, she slid her hand up his chest. She spoke slowly, with her voice dropping lower. "And then I might do this," She reached up with her other free hand and ran it through his hair before resting it on the back of his neck. Standing on her toes, she looped both her arms around his shoulders.

Neal's mind was a blur. He didn't really know what to do with his hands so he just grabbed her shoulders.

"And if I was smart and wanted to fully win him over, I would most likely kiss him," She said this all in a barely audible whisper before craning her neck up to look into his eyes.

"But," she said at full volume, before removing her hands from Neal's features. She took a step back and wore a triumphant smirk. "I only kiss criminals when absolutely necessary."

Neal crossed his arms and looked down at her. "Hmm," he muttered trying to sound as nonchalant as posable. "Point taken. It could use some work, but I'm sure you're fine. Anyways," he was trying to change the subject and get away from what had just happened. Emily saw this and gave him another smirk. "We should probably get back to the plan now if you're done." Neal looked down at her with narrowed eyes, hoping to cover the fact that his mind was a mess right now. He begged the universe that he wasn't as transparent as glass.

"Sure Caffrey. I'm done." She gave him one last wink before she sat down again.

 ** _There you have it guys. CLIFF is officially dead. I know a ton of you forgot and gave up on it a while ago, but here it is anyways. It kinda sucked and not a ton of people read it, but you know what? I did my best, and I had fun. That's all I can do sometimes._**

 ** _Well  
That's all for now folks.  
Thanks for tuning in._**

 _~a scribbler_


End file.
